Happy spring! The first day of spring (vernal – Latin for spring, equinox – Latin for equal night) is one of only two days when the sun passes directly over the equator and crosses that celestial equator going from south to north. The spring and fall equinoxes are the only two times of the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west. Pretty interesting!

Did you also know Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after spring? I’m no astronomer, but that’s what I’ve read. Along those fun facts, the egg is a symbol of fertility in spring, and this time of year is also called Lent or Lenten.

With Easter around the corner, everyone is posting their fun Easter ideas and traditions, mostly on Pinterest. I’ve read about a variety of Easter basket items, and fun activities, and so on and so forth. These innovative suggestions got me thinking of different ways to enhance our own typical Easter traditions.

Naturally, my mind turns everything into a scavenger hunt! Yes, incorporating the standard Easter egg hunt with a scavenger hunt! Why not? Actually, I wish the idea crossed my mind when Kyle was younger. Adding another layer to the typical Easter egg hunt would’ve been the perfect challenge for my little man. He would’ve loved the extra effort on my part, and I most certainly would’ve loved to create something unique for his Easter experience ! What fun!

When I was little, our family tradition was for the “Easter Bunny” a.k.a. mom, to hide our dyed eggs around the house. The more I think about it, that was risky in the event we missed an egg and it remained hidden, especially with the summer heat fast approaching. That could’ve been lethal! I’m pretty sure mom counted the eggs to ensure none were overlooked. Although, that would’ve made for an interesting story about a rotten Easter egg, but no such luck.

Me, Nicole & Ryan Easter morning before church. 5/1981

With Kyle, we added another level of excitement by stuffing colorful plastic eggs with quarters and candy, and sometimes Matchbox cars in the larger eggs. He loved each of those equally. When the weather wasn’t too shabby, we’d hide the eggs in my parent’s orchard in the backyard. Early Easter morning, I’m talking about 4:00 am or so, Kyle would attempt to wake everyone for his Easter morning adventure. No one would budge, except leave it to good old Aunt Heather to give in to my little bundle of enthusiasm. I’ll admit, it wasn’t too difficult to get up early, since I was like a kid myself, excited for Kyle to find the eggs mom and I hid the night before.

Together, Kyle and I would pull on our rubber boots, still in our pajamas (Actually, I stand corrected, I was in my pjs, while I had to make Kyle dress in some sort of pant, usually sweatpants and a t-shirt. I was lucky if I got him to wear a coat.) and venture into the early morning hours to run around the yard looking for plastic eggs with flashlights in hand. That was always fun, watching Kyle dart from one tree to another, looking high and low. When the weather didn’t cooperate, we’d hide the eggs in the house, not exactly ideal but it worked.

So, back to my idea. How does an Easter egg scavenger hunt work? Simple. Create a map or a serious of riddles and clues to uncover the hidden Easter eggs. It can even be as detailed or as simple as desired, as per the age range of the participants. One idea is to give a single clue to one egg, which contains another clue to the next, and so on and so forth. If I was developing the Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt, I’d add scholastic questions to really challenge the child and reinforce his or her school subjects. I’d also add religious questions to reinforce the true meaning behind Easter. And if I’m designing the scavenger hunt in the typical Thrill of the Hunt fashion, I’d add online challenges for the child to take pictures and video along the scavenger hunt adventure. The entire family could join in on the fun for a family fun good time! This scavenger hunt doesn’t necessarily have to be targeted to young children (I’m thinking 4+), but could be developed for pre-teens and teenagers alike. That’s one way to include everyone on an Easter Egg Hunt Scavenger Hunt! This can be accomplished inside or out, or both.

Please note, Thrill of the Hunt will be hosting our first ever Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in Winchester, Virginia on Saturday, May 30, 2015. We’re also hosting our annual Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunts in local cities including Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Annapolis, Maryland; Alexandria, Virginia; and New Hope, Pennsylvania. Tickets are on sale now, but are limited. We’re still accepting local businesses to be added to the actual scavenger hunt to increase foot traffic to these locations.

Thrill of the Hunt is in the planning stages for our Singles Scavenger Hunt in Virginia. Keep your eyes peeled.

Speaking of different areas, we are always open to hearing suggestions on scavenger hunt themes and hometowns to bring our events. Please Suggest An Event on our website, or email Game@ThrillScavengerHunt.com. I seriously want to hear from you!

What does that mean? It means I have a shot, granted a very slim chance, at winning one of twenty prizes awarded. It’s true, I’m a small town Latrobe start-up company in our second year, and there were roughly 35,000 participants in the 2013 contest, so the odds are not in my favor (a little Hunger Games reference). I get it, but I also know someone, 20 small businesses to be exact, will win. Why not try?

Before I forget and get wrapped up in the details of this contest, please vote. If you voted, thank you so very much! There is only one vote per person permitted and currently as of now, I only need 39 more votes to go in 10 days.

The big prize or the crème de la crème is winning the $150,000 grant (naturally I’ll have to pay all local, state and federal taxes). In addition to the prerequisites to entering the contest, such as the number of employees, the minimum of two years in business and such, I had to complete essay questions. I met the strict criteria with flying colors, the easy part, but the questionnaire took some time to work out. There were several sets of questions to answer including outlining the details to how the money will be used if won. A great way to force me to think wisely with respect to spending, on a micro and macro level, with or without winning. Thinking this way will only help Thrill of the Hunt in the long run.

Me at the Seton Hill University Homecoming Block Party, doing a scavenger hunt for Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pa. 9/21/13

How would I use the money? Since there are two sides to Thrill of the Hunt, the public, which are our own hosted scavenger hunt events; and the private, which include business functions, team building activities, fundraisers and parties, I addressed them both, for they work in tandem.

The money will help Thrill of the Hunt expand our public events into other cities and states. It will also give me the resources to truly promote our events AS AN EVENT! With every public scavenger hunt and new city we participate in, Thrill of the Hunt meets new contacts and promotes our services as a scavenger hunt adventure for private functions! These public and private scavenger hunts give me the marketing power to promote Thrill of the Hunt with the use of Google keywords, increasing our SEO within each hosted area. See how both sides of the house play off of each other and yet, are mutually independent? That was not by chance but by my design.

Then, there’s the trip to Google headquarters to attend a seminar with small business experts. Having the opportunity to tour Google alone would be amazing, not to mention speaking with these experts and making contacts, again spreading the word on Thrill of the Hunt.

As part of the benefit package, the winners will also receive a Google Chromebook laptop and a $2,000 coupon toward one market research study with Google Consumer Surveys. All good for taking my company to the next level.

I’ve done other contests in the past and lost, but going through this process is good for me personally and the company.

Last year I participated in the Intuit Big Game Small Business Contest. Why do I take the time to do so when my time is so limited? I enter these very hard to win contests for several reasons.

First and foremost for the opportunity to win. They each have a very enticing draw, which will benefit Thrill of the Hunt tremendously if awarded. Again, I’m not so blind to realize the odds, but like I said, someone has to win. I feel if I don’t try, I am doing my company an injustice and a missed opportunity.

Plus, completing the application is a great process to go through. It helps to reevaluate the direction of the company and truly get to the heart and soul of the business. I mean that. These contests ask the tough questions or ones not even considered. Like what?

Besides the typical short and long-term goals and competition, they ask ‘Why did you start the business?’, ‘What will winning mean to your company?’, “What made you want to be an entrepreneur?’, and ‘How does your company help the community?’. Writing up the essay questions is a great way to evaluate yourself as a business owner and the company. It also helps to really narrow your focus or confirm your business model. Not to mention, the more that is written about your company, the better your copy sounds and is refined.

It also recharges your battery and builds excitement, reiterates why the company was started in the first place. Keeping the passion up and going can be a challenge too. Every little bit of encouragement helps.

Did I mention with these essay questions they are usually limited to about 1,000 to 1,500 characters? Not words, but characters including the spaces. Yikes, that’s right! That in itself is very difficult and challenging, but it forces a person to really eliminate all the unwanted bull and the unnecessary words to capture the true essence of the company. Like I said a great practice to go through.

Leko (pre Cooper) showing off his Thrill of the Hunt prizes at the Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, Pa 6/2013

Another big factor with these contests is the marketing aspect. Yes, the national promotion of being associated with a big name, and naturally the prestige of winning under said name is a bonus, but also the indirect publicity with friends and family. This helps to spread the word on the company to those who might not know you are in business for yourself, or may not know exactly what it is you do. Those people who we take for granted and are often times overlooked are monumental to a company! These contests force a person to reach out to EVERYONE, especially when it comes to the voting process, which they all seem to share. It’s a great way to introduce a company on a very personal level without commitment. It’s also a great excuse to continue promoting the company to those who are very aware of the business and to maintain top of mind awareness.

With these contests, they usually give marketing options and templates to use or store for future efforts. Again, going through the activity of writing a press release or scripting and shooting a video to distribute, moves everyone out of their comfort zone and into the real world of marketing, another avenue to promote the company.

Believe it or not, all this activity and project development does take time but helps to get your thoughts together to really understand your own company. That was always a big fear of mine, not having a clear defined message. Working in an ad agency with an eclectic assortment of industries and companies, I’ve seen the opposite. Believe it or not, I’m not talking about small companies but established businesses with major resources. I’ve seen them fall short on the focus of their company or have yet to find their true niche. Scary.

To anyone who has a start-up company, or is thinking of doing so, or is already up and running, take the time to invest in these contests. No I’m not being paid to promote them, and yes, they are long shots, but with experience comes understanding and knowledge. More importantly, theses exercises will get you thinking differently and out of your comfort zone. Plus, someone has to win!

Thank you to everyone who has helped me out with Thrill of the Hunt in one way or another over the years. Your involvement has been appreciated and needed! Most are friends and family who want to see my company succeed, but some are strangers who see potential in my business. To everyone who voted, spread the word, sent me leads, gave advice and direction or just gave me words of encouragement, I want to send a very sincere Thank You! I wouldn’t have made it this far without everyone’s help.

For more information on Thrill of the Hunt, visit our website at www.ThrillScavengerHunt.com or email us at Game@ThrillScavengerHunt.com.

Since the days are slipping past me, I thought I’d share this idea before it has become the very past.

Look online and you’ll be flooded with activities in all areas, for all interests for families and adults alike. Well, here is one for the singles. (21+)

Two weeks ago this Friday, on September 5, 2014, Thrill of the Hunt, a division of The Piper Corporation hosted our first ever singles scavenger hunt! Espy Scavenger Hunt Yes! An option for those singles instead of the same old, which ultimately rests solely on the participants’ ability to strike up a conversation. Nope! Not this time. This scavenger hunt was a non-threatening conversation starter, while having fun playing a game.

Again, to reiterate and for disclosure purposes, Thrill of the Hunt is my start-up company. We exclusively develop and administer to scavenger hunts. One might ask, for what? Short answer, for any business function such as an outing, team building, a company picnic, a sales meeting, a conference or for a trade show to engage customers or potential prospects; for parties such as birthday, retirement, bachelor/bachelorette, bridal or baby shower or family reunion; or as a unique and exciting fundraiser. Not only does Thrill of the Hunt build these private scavenger hunts but we also host our own public hunts.

The singles scavenger hunt was one of those public activities whereas the participants purchased a ticket in advance. This particular event was coupled with the MELODIME show afterwards, if desired. In addition, Thrill of the Hunt issued the adventurous singles a list of items to prepare them for the hunt, and in turn, they addressed such items as they chose. The scavenger hunt was designed to prompt specific questions to keep the conversations flowing and not have awkward silence and to eliminate anxiety or uncomfortableness, while going through the clues and challenges. Each participant had the freedom to choose who they spoke to, somewhat.

The outcome? It was a small event, being the first one of its kind at this venue, which was Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. Being an administrator, I can only listen to the feedback and get a sense of the participants’ attitude and body language. I was told it was a fun event, even though it would have been better with a larger group. I couldn’t agree more, perhaps in the future. Everyone did enjoy themselves and the conversations where certainly none stop.

On a side note, this is one of those rare occasions Kyle wasn’t able to assist me. His thirteen years was not permitted in the facility that served alcohol. Plus, with an event like this, he is definitely too immature to really understand, at least at this point in his life. Plus, I can never gauge the quality of the participants. At this event, they were all very pleasant nice people, but I’m sure I’ll have a few challenges as I continue offering the singles scavenger hunt. I certainly hope not, and I haven’t thus far with any of my events, but it’s always a real possibility. I don’t want Kyle exposed to potential problems, so he will remain on the sideline for now, at least with respect to the singles events.

I truly do love building scavenger hunts and administering to them! Hence why I started this company. Good thing!

Thrill of the Hunt hosted the Singles Scavenger Hunt & MELODIME Show at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, VA 9/5/14

Recently, I spoke to a gal on the phone regarding a bachelorette party she is having in Louisiana. She thought we didn’t service that area. We do! These are exciting times and Thrill of the Hunt is expanding our reach to cover most cities.

We are also teaming up with different colleges and universities for a variety of activities, as well as different groups of all interests. Recently, a few MeetUp groups reached out to me about scavenger hunt events and other themes. Great idea! In fact, Thrill of the Hunt will be hosting our annual Doggie in Disguise Scavenger Hunts in local cities including Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Annapolis Maryland, Alexandria, Virginia and New Hope, Pennsylvania. Tickets are on sale now, but are limited. We were also commissioned by Seton Hill University as an activity for their block party homecoming. Join us in Greensburg, Pennsylvania tomorrow. Told you a lot going on!

Speaking of different areas, we are always open to hearing suggestions on scavenger hunt themes and hometowns to bring our events. Please Suggest An Event, either on our website or email Game@ThrillScavengerHunt.com or fill out the form on the Contact Us page. I seriously want to hear from you!

Now time for my marketing promotion of Thrill of the Hunt, as if I haven’t already. If you are interested in a unique custom scavenger hunt or just want to discuss the possibilities, email me at Game@ThrillScavengerHunt.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page for a free quote. We will get back to you within 24 business hours. I promise!